In Love With the Girl
by smacky30
Summary: JJ and Will's son, Henry, is in love with Dave and Emily's daughter. What do Dave & Emily thing about it? A story about two kids falling in love and how it changes everybody's lives. There's some Dave/Emily and Hotch/JJ thrown in there too.


**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: A huge, huge thank you to Mingsmommy and Losingntrnslatn. I couldn't do this without their support...and I don't tell them enough how wonderful they are.**

His hair is more salt than pepper these days and it's thinner than it used to be, much thinner. Leaning toward the mirror, Dave runs a hand over his goatee, smoothing it down. The lines around his eyes are deeper than he remembers them being yesterday and the skin under his chin is looser. In the mirror he watches as Emily slicks on lipstick and can't stop the smile that tugs at his mouth because sometimes he forgets just how beautiful she is and then he _sees_ her and something inside him goes soft and warm.

She catches his gaze and pauses, her hand hovering in the air. "What?"

"You're breathtaking."

"Oh please," she snorts and rubs her lips together. "I'm over sixty, Dave. Those days were over a long time ago."

Moving to her side, he slips an arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her neck, inhaling the familiar scent of her. "You take _my_ breath away."

"And you are still the biggest sweet talker I know." Turning, she loops her arms around his neck. "That's what I love about you."

With a grin, he slides his hand down and squeezes her ass. "That's not all you love about me."

Her chuckle is low and throaty and it warms his heart. "Ella will be here soon."

"She will," he agrees. "Won't it be good for her to know people our age are still interested in sex? Give her hope for the future."

This time her head falls back and her eyes slip closed and she gives a true laugh, one from her belly. Never one to waste an opportunity, Dave bends forward and kisses the hollow of her throat, and while the skin there isn't is smooth and taut as it was it's still soft and sweet under his lips. After more than twenty years he knows all the spots that turn her on, and her groan vibrates against his lips as she threads a hand into his hair and holds him close.

"Dave," she breathes out, pressing closer, her actions belying her words. "Let's save this for later?"

"Mom? Dad?" Their daughter's voice and the sound of a slamming door reach them from the other end of the house and Dave reluctantly releases her.

"I guess we will." He grins and stands still as Emily straightens his tie and smoothes her hands over his lapels.

She presses her lips to his for a soft kiss, the one that promises more, the one she perfected after their daughter was born. "This is a very big night for her, Dave. It's an honor to be included."

"Yes, ma'am." He nips at her thumb as she wipes the trace of lipstick off his mouth. "Let's go."

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Dave's house was no longer his own. Emily's clothes were in his closet, her shoes lined up neatly next to his. There were bottles and jars and tubes in his bathroom that he called clutter and she called essentials. The guest room had become a nursery; its pale yellow walls decorated with dragonflies and flowers. A crib with all the latest safety features was assembled and in place along with a dresser and changing table. Diapers and other supplies were ready and waiting and the world's tiniest clothes were hanging in the closet or folded in drawers. There were books and toys and all the things a baby could possibly need arranged on shelves. The kitchen cabinets held bottles, and cans of formula were stacked in the pantry. A bouncy seat and a Pac 'n' Play, which Dave was convinced was designed by Satan himself, were setup in the living room. So far the only room in the house that hadn't been invaded was his office.

"You hiding in here?" Emily leaned against the door frame and ran a hand over her belly.

"No." Looking up from the computer, he took off his reading glasses and rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. The second draft of his book was due by the end of the month and at the rate he was working his editor was going to be very unhappy with him. "Not hiding."

She bit her lip and sighed. "Can I come in?"

"It's your house, too, Emily." Dave tried to tamp down on his frustration. It seemed like she had been walking on eggshells around him for days. And while he knew it was partially his fault, mostly his fault, he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Emily moved around the desk to lean there next to him. She was close enough for him to touch her. Close enough that the scent of her tickled at his nostrils. Close enough for the fear lurking in the back of her eyes to be visible to him.

"Dave," her voice trembled, "if this is too much just tell me. It's not too late to undo all of this." She waved a hand toward the rest of the house, her expression bleak but determined.

Suddenly, there was a giant fist around his heart, squeezing and twisting until he couldn't breathe. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you want your life back just tell me and I'll go." She pushed her bangs back and gave him a sad smile. "I know you are…particular about your space and I understand. I'm a little overwhelmed myself."

He should've seen this coming. Every relationship he'd ever had ended badly. What made him think this would be any different? But there was so much more at stake here. Anger and dread were swirling through him in equal measure, choking out common sense. As usual, his first defense was a stinging offense. "The last three at least had the decency to fight to stay."

Anger flashed in her eyes and her pale cheeks flushed a vibrant red. "Well, I don't know much about the _other three_, but I don't want to be where I'm not wanted." With tears shimmering in her eyes, she pushed off the edge of the desk and stormed from the room.

"Fuck!" Dave spat out the word. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Shoving up out of the chair, he went looking for her. He found her in the master bedroom throwing clothes in a bag. "What are you doing?"

"You're a smart man, figure it out." She jerked open a drawer and scooped a handful of underwear out.

Panic. Absolute and total panic. Heart pounding, palm sweating panic. "I can't let you leave."

Her bark of laughter was as close to shrill as he'd ever heard her. "Try and stop me."

Drawing in a deep breath, Dave reigned in his temper and sucked back his initial response. "Let's talk about this, Emily." Without responding she zipped the bag and jerked it off the bed. "Please stay."

"Why?" She watched him, wary and hurt.

"Because I am overwhelmed but I want you here." Swallowing hard, choking back his stupid pride, Dave rounded the end of the bed and brushed his hand over her cheek. "You and our baby and all the stuff and the chaos. Before you my life was empty."

"Then stop shutting me out. Talk to me." The first tear slid down her cheek and she brushed it away. "I've been in places where I wasn't wanted before. I was too young to do anything about it then but I'm not now."

Dave winced at the pain and bravado in her voice. "I'm sorry," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I'm so sorry." He didn't even try to hide his sigh of relief when she dropped the bag and hugged him back.

For a long while, he simply held her, loving the feel of her against him, the steady beat of her heart and the quiet rhythm of her breathing. Pulling back, he asked, "Are we okay?"

Emily's smile was watery. "Not quite yet. But we will be."

Nodding, Dave gave her a crooked grin. "I hope so because even if I am an asshole I love you and I don't want to lose you."

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"Oh, Emily, she's beautiful." J.J. cradled the infant in her arms.

Dave pressed a kiss to the back of Emily's hand and said, "She looks just like her mother." Tears were clogging his throat, roughening his voice. When Emily looked at him, her brows drawn down in concern, he just shook his head and smiled at her. "The two most beautiful women in the world," he murmured and pressed another kiss to her hand.

"Wanna see." Henry bounced impatiently at his mother's side, his chubby two year old body vibrating with excitement.

With a laugh, Will scooped Henry up. "Just like your daddy, little man, you've got an eye for the pretty girls."

"Baby," Henry exclaimed loudly. "Baby."

J.J. grinned at Henry's enthusiasm. "This is Isabella. Can you say hello to her?"

Perched there on Will's hip, he stared down at Isabella. "H'lo 'Ella." And in that moment, Isabella Grace Rossi became Ella. Henry laughed and said, "Kiss."

With just a little maneuvering, Will and J.J. managed to raise and lower the children until Henry placed a sloppy kiss on Isabella's forehead.

Laughing, Dave said, "Hey. That's my daughter there."

"Already getting kissed." Emily chimed in. "She gets that from her father."

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"She's growing so fast." Dave murmured almost absently as they watched Henry and Ella playing in the backyard. It was some game only the two of them seemed to understand; one that involved Henry running ahead and then stopping to wait for her to catch up. This act was followed by Ella's squeals of delight. "I swear we just brought her home yesterday."

"Fourteen months." Emily chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ears. "She changes every day. Sometimes I…" She broke off, shaking her head.

"Emily, you can always quit. We can more than afford it." He knew what her answer would be. They'd had this conversation more times than either could count and it always came out the same way. "Or you could transfer out of the BAU."

Practically at their feet, Ella tripped and fell, going down on her hands and knees. For a second she looked unsure about whether or not she was hurt, then with a quiver of her bottom lip, she started wailing. Bending, Emily swept Ella up in her arms, brushed off the toddler's hands and knees and kissed her tear stained cheeks. At that moment her attention was entirely focused on her daughter and Dave had never found her sexier, never loved her more.

Laughing at the giggles she managed to elicit from the little girl, Emily said, "I love her…love you both… so much. But I just…" She shrugged.

Dave gently tugged Ella from her arms and set her on her feet, holding her until she was steady. Then he released her and watched as she ran toward Henry. He wrapped his arms around Emily and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "You are not your mother. Wanting to work doesn't make you a bad person."

"Then why do I feel so guilty?" She slid her arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest, burying her face in the side of his neck.

"Because you are who you are." He hugged her tight, so tight he was sure it would be possible for her to melt into him. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

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Dave wanted to carry her but she refused. "I'm a big girl, Daddy," she told him and his heart broke just a little. Still she clung tightly to his hand as the three of them headed toward her classroom. He could feel her fingers trembling against his. By the time they reached room 103 she was dragging her feet, her shoes scuffing along the tiled floor.

He waited patiently while Emily squatted beside Ella and the two carried on a whispered conversation. One he was sure was 'girls only'. Then it was his turn so he pasted on a grin and knelt there in the hallway with people swirling around them.

"Okay, Isabella Grace, you be a good girl." He tugged the straps of her pink Cinderella backpack up on her shoulders. "Do what Ms. Holmes tells you and don't talk in class."

"But Daddy, if I don't talk how will I ask questions?" Her brown eyes, so like her mother's, sparkled with mischief.

"Hey, you." He goosed her just to hear her giggle. "I'll see you this afternoon. Okay?"

"Yep." She nodded emphatically. Smiling he stood but she motioned for him to bend down again. Going up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered in his ear. "I love you, Daddy."

Outside, parents were dropping off their children and the entire scene resembled mass chaos. More than a little distracted, Dave didn't see the little boy until it was almost too late. Releasing Emily's hand, he grabbed the tiny shoulders and said, "Sorry, buddy. I didn't see you."

"Ish okay Unca Dave." Henry grinned up at him, his missing front teeth giving him a lisp and an impishness he didn't normally have. "I saw you."

"Hey, Henry." Dave smiled down at the tow headed boy. "Where're your mom and dad?"

"Dad is at work and Mom is right there." He turned and pointed toward the line of cars filled with parents. "Hey, Aunt Emily."

"Hey there." Emily grinned. "Your mom didn't want to walk you in?"

Shaking his head, Henry said, "She did. But I told her I could do it by myself. I'm not a little kid anymore."

Nodding sagely, Dave agreed. "You'd better get inside. It's almost time for school to start."

"Yes, sir." Henry grinned and headed inside. Turning back, he called out, "Unca Dave? Don't worry 'bout Ella. I'll look out for her."

Fighting back a grin at the boy's serious expression, Dave called back, "Thanks, Henry. I'm counting on you."

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"Did your dad say why he left?" Ella plucked a dandelion from the ground in front of her and blew on it, scattering the seeds. She'd heard her parents whispering a couple of days ago about Uncle Will moving out, and then this morning Aunt J.J. dropped Henry off to spend the day.

"No." Henry shrugged. "He just said that _they_ decided it would be better for everybody." He refused to look at her, instead keeping his eyes glued to the patch of grass he was slowly decimating. "Why do they get to decide? And who is everybody? Because _I_ don't want him to leave."

Not sure what she was supposed to say or do, Ella simply nodded. "Parents are so stupid sometimes."

"I hate them." Henry pushed to his feet and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. "Hate them."

"Don't say that." She looked up at him, squinting against the sun, a sick feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "You know it isn't true."

"It is true," he ground out, his voice cracking.

Ella rose to her feet and mimicked his pose. "It's gonna be okay, Henry."

"How do you know?" he spat, tears shimmering in his gray-blue eyes, anger coloring his cheeks. "Your mom and dad are still living in the same house. They don't yell and scream at each other all the time."

She tried to protest but he just kept talking, his voice rising until he was yelling. "You're just a kid. A spoiled brat and you don't know shit!"

"And you're a jerk!" Ella felt tears stinging her eyes but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Instead she took off, her legs pumping hard as she ran across the yard and down the driveway.

The street was hard under her feet and her shoes made sharp slapping sounds against the pavement. Taking a right out of their driveway, Ella headed for the community park set in the cul-de-sac. Sometimes, when she needed to think, she would go there, sit by the pond and watch the ducks. Her mom and dad only started letting her go by herself since she turned twelve. She was always supposed to get permission but at that moment she didn't care.

Crying, her breath coming in harsh gasps, her ponytail swishing against her back with every step, Ella ran across the grass and dropped down on her favorite bench. She was mad. Madder than she could ever remember being. She was only trying to help and he yelled at her like it was all her fault, like she could help it if his stupid dad moved into some stupid apartment.

Ella's tears had dried up, but she could feel the sticky remnants of them on her cheeks when Henry dropped onto the bench beside her. She turned her head away from him, not wanting him to see that she'd been crying.

"Are you gonna be mad at me forever?" he asked.

Swinging her legs, kicking at the dirt with the toes of her shoes, she shrugged. "Maybe."

He slid a little closer, his shoulder nudging hers. "What if I said I was sorry?"

"Are you?" She hated the way the knot in her chest loosened and let her feel like breathing again. Never, not once in her whole life, had she fought with Henry and she definitely didn't like the way it felt.

Tugging on her ponytail, he said, "Yeah."

Lips tipping up in a smile, she nodded. "Okay."

"Cool." Henry stood up, grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug, just like he had a million times before, saying, "Can we go see what your mom has to eat? I'm starving."

Ella laughed and hugged him back. She turned her head, intending to kiss his cheek just as Henry turned his toward her. If she hadn't been so shocked, she might have laughed. But his lips were against hers and his hands were on her waist and this time she couldn't breathe for an entirely different reason.

_So this is what all the fuss is about? _His lips were soft against hers and a funny tingle started somewhere near the center of her chest and worked its way outward. If somebody asked her to explain it, Ella was pretty sure she wouldn't know how. Being the offspring of Emily Prentiss and David Rossi, she was verbose on the best of days. But kissing a boy, kissing _this_ boy, was something she couldn't even begin to describe.

She couldn't help but wonder if this was how Elizabeth felt when Mr. Darcy kissed her for the first time. All warm and gooey with her heart swooping around in her chest and her stomach doing flips. Then Henry pulled away and looked at her like he'd never seen her before.

"Um…I didn't mean…" He blushed.

"It's okay, Henry. It was an accident." Ella forced a smile and stepped out of his arms. "Come on. I think there's leftover lasagna at home."

Grinning, Henry said, "Race ya," and took off at a run.

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Emily slipped between the sheets and leaned back against the headboard. "Ella has a date on Saturday."

Dave lowered the book to his lap and slipped the reading glasses off his face. "She has a what?" His eyebrow was climbing steadily toward his hairline. Surely he'd misunderstood Emily. Ella having a date just wasn't a possibility.

Shaking her head, a smile playing over her mouth, Emily said, "A date, Dave. You remember those?"

"I remember. I might be old but I'm not senile." Dave could feel his blood pressure rising. Even knowing this day would come, he wasn't prepared. When he looked at her he still saw that little girl with the chocolate curls who kissed his cheek on the first day of kindergarten. Then he would blink and she was this leggy brunette who definitely would have turned his head if he weren't her father.

"Dave," Emily laid a hand on his arm. "It's a date. A movie and something to eat."

"I was a teenage boy once, Emily." He sucked in a deep breath. "To Ella it's a movie. To him it's a chance to get really close to my daughter in the dark."

Shaking her head, she chuckled. "She's not a little girl. We have to let her do this at some point."

"So, you're okay with this?"

"No." Emily shrugged and he saw Ella in the movement. "The very idea makes me feel a little nauseated. But we can't keep her locked up until she's thirty." She slid her hand down and twined her fingers with his. "People like that are the reason I still have a job and you keep selling those books."

Chuckling, Dave squeezed her hand. "Is it supposed to be this hard?"

"Yeah. I think it is." She murmured. "I really think we're getting it right."

Still not happy but more or less resigned to this next milestone, he said, "I think so, too."

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"You're going out with who?" Henry's fingers dug into the phone hard enough to leave dents.

"Brandon Pike," Ella said, and he could almost see her chin jut out and her eyes shoot fire at him.

He knew the surge of anger was ridiculous and he wasn't even sure where it was coming from. "He's an ass. You can do better."

She gasped and then she made that little growling noise that said she was pissed. "_You're_ an ass, Henry." Her voice was sharp and hard, the same voice Uncle Dave used when he was really mad. "You don't get to pick my dates."

"Well, somebody should. Cause you aren't doing such a great job on your own." Seriously, what the hell was she thinking going out with that loser? Was she trying to ruin her reputation? He'd heard the way Brandon talked about the girls he went out with, the way he bragged about all the stuff they did with him. Not that Henry was a virgin, but all the men in his life had taught him to respect women and to never, ever kiss and tell.

"What is _wrong_ with you? If I didn't know better I'd think you were jealous." She sounded smug, like she'd won some kind of contest with that one. "You are, aren't you?"

"Hell no!" The girl had obviously gone crazy. He had a girlfriend. The hottest girl in the senior class, maybe even the whole school. Why would he be jealous of Ella going out with some stupid jerk? "In case you forgot, genius, I've got a girlfriend."

If he knew her, she was rolling her eyes like she did every time he mentioned Ashley. "How could I forget when you keep reminding me?"

Barking out a laugh, he let satisfaction flood through him. "Now who's jealous, Ella?"

"I am not!" Then she started to sputter, which was a dead giveaway that she was lying. And Henry honestly didn't know how he felt about that.

She was Ella. Isabella Grace Rossi. The first girl he ever kissed, even if she was just a few hours old. Actually, the first girl he ever kissed period. Even though he'd had sex with Ashley, it was Ella's face that haunted his dreams, Ella in that damned bright orange bikini that had him waking up so hard he hurt. Ella with her long legs and soft dark skin, that white smile and those eyes that showed him everything she thought she was hiding. She was beautiful. Even more beautiful than Ashley.

But she was _Ella_. His best friend. His confidant. The one person he could go to when things went wrong. And she was jealous? What about him? Was that why he was so pissed off that she was going out with Brandon? Would it be different if it was some other guy? Or would he still have that hot, sick feeling in his chest?

"You know what? I don't have time for this crap." He forced himself to sound like he didn't care, forced the lie past his lips. "I've gotta call Ash before I go to bed. I'll talk to you later."

Snapping the phone shut, he closed his eyes and willed away the images of Ella.

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Having grown up in a house with David Rossi, Ella had watched old movies her entire life and officially fell in love with Audrey Hepburn when she was about twelve. So, when she saw the little black dress with the oversized hot pink bow at the waist she knew she had to have it. Convincing her mother of that had proved harder than Ella thought it would. But with her hair up in a French twist, her feet encased in strappy black sandals and huge silver hoops dangling from her ears she knew all the begging had been worth it.

"Wanna dance," Henry practically screamed to be heard over the pounding music.

Brandon had abandoned her practically the moment they arrived and she was sure an hour had passed since she'd last seen him dancing with Stacy Watson. "Sure," she grinned up at Henry, her heart swelling just a little because the best looking boy in school was asking her to dance, even if it was because he felt sorry for her. "Ashley won't be mad?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "She's cool."

"Okay." She placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor, her stomach fluttering.

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Henry put his arms around Ella's waist and pulled her against him. Without a word, he started to sway, taking care not to step on her feet. As the song played, he relaxed for the first time all night. Ashley was driving him crazy with her constant chatter. It was nice to take a minute and dance with Ella who knew how to be quiet and breathe.

He glanced down and she was looking up at him, her eyes shining in the sparkling lights of the ballroom. She's stunning, he thought. With her hair up, her neck was long and graceful and even though he'd never thought about a girl's neck before, he found himself wanting to press his lips there. And then his eyes dipped just a little farther, slipping past the delicate jut of her collarbones and settling on the swell of her breasts above the top of her dress. Suddenly, he wasn't relaxed. He was hard. And hoping desperately she wouldn't notice.

Because his luck wasn't always good, Ella pressed a little closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

And he knew the second she realized just how she was effecting him. Her head came up and her mouth was as round as her eyes. Then she blushed, bright spots of color high on her cheeks.

"Oh," she breathed out and Henry was sure he got harder. "I…uh…I…" She trailed off, her hands brushing over the back of his neck and her eyes searching his face.

"Ella," Henry tried to put some distance between them. "Please don't say anything. This is humiliating enough without you giving me shit." He could feel the heat of embarrassment on his cheeks and closed his eyes, hoping to block the entire moment from his mind. When he opened them, Ella was watching him with a gleam in her eyes he'd never seen before.

"Is that because of me?"

Even her voice sounded different. Lower, throatier, sexier. And he wanted her. Not just sex. Not even sex with Ashley. But sex with Ella. He wanted her naked and pressed against him. He wanted to see her eyes shining up at him while he pushed inside her. The fierceness of it surprised him. He didn't feel that way about her. He was absolutely, positively sure he didn't. So what the hell was this all about?

"No." He shook his head and managed to roll his eyes. "I'm a _guy_. This happens when the wind changes direction. Trust me; it has nothing to do with you."

The gleam in her eye faded and she seemed to shrink a little. "Oh. Well, okay." She swallowed hard and, without meeting his eyes, said, "I need to use the bathroom. Thanks for the dance." Then she slipped out of his arms and was gone.

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"Hey, Princess," Dave looked up from his computer screen when Ella dropped into the chair across from his desk. "What's up?"

She heaved out a very dramatic sigh and he had to fight back a smile. "Henry isn't coming to my graduation." Her voice was wobbly and there were tears in her eyes. "He has finals."

"Ah." Dave nodded, watching his daughter's face. She was hurting but, like both her parents, she was determined not to show it. "Well, I'm sure he wants to be there."

She shrugged and turned her head away, blinking furiously at the tears in her eyes. "I guess."

"Ella," he chided. "I know this is important to you. But you can't expect him to miss finals to drive all the way here for your high school graduation."

"I went to his." She wrapped her arms around her waist and her lower lip trembled and she looked like she did when she was six and wanted to get her way.

"You did," he agreed. "And you were officially out of school for the summer and lived ten minutes from where the ceremony was taking place. He's two hundred miles away."

"But if I was away I'd come back for him." She looked at him then and something in her eyes clicked with him.

_Shit! She has a crush on him. _Dave swallowed hard, taking a minute to gather his thoughts. "Ella, you've been friends with Henry your whole life, right?"

"Yeah," she turned sideways in the chair, draping her legs across the arm.

"He's always looked out for you and wanted what was best for you, right?"

She rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Don't you want the same for him?"

"But…" She groaned and threw up her hands. "Whatever." Unfolding her body from the chair she headed for the door, throwing back over her shoulder, "I knew you wouldn't understand."

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"Did you know Ella has a crush on Henry?" Dave wrapped a towel around his hips and stepped out of the shower.

Emily laughed and nodded. "Only since she was about ten."

"I don't mean that." He waved a dismissive hand. "I mean she thinks she's in love with him."

"And you're surprised?" She smoothed moisturizer over her face.

"You're not?" He paused with the comb halfway to his hair.

Chuckling, she shook her head. "No."

She watched his face, the play of emotions as he struggled to come to grips with this newest realization, and had to fight the urge to pat him on the shoulder and tell him everything would be okay. Dave refused to realize that their little girl wasn't a little girl at all. She was a young woman with everything that came with it. And while she was pretty sure Ella had never done anything about it, Emily was positive she had feelings for Henry that went way beyond friendship.

"She's not old enough," he grumbled. "She's only seventeen."

"Dave, she'll be eighteen next month. But that doesn't have anything to do with it." She tucked her hair behind her ears and rested a hip against the bathroom counter. "How old were you when you decided that Emma was the one?"

Dropping the comb in the drawer and pushing it closed, he removed his towel and started pulling on his boxers. "That was different. We were…more mature."

"Really?" Emily didn't even try to hide her smile. "You were more mature at eighteen than Ella is now?"

"Times were different, Em." He pulled a t-shirt over his head. "We grew up faster."

"Maybe," she ran a brush through her hair and watched as he frowned. "Look, Dave, I'm not saying she needs to run off and get married. I want her to go to college. I want her to have a career and a life of her own before she settles down. But we don't always get what we want."

"So you think…" He trailed off as if the words were too painful.

"I don't think anything of the sort." Setting the brush on the counter she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Henry doesn't seem to know how she feels. So I don't think they are going to be eloping. And college will be good for her. New people, new friends, new guys. She'll fall in and out of love a dozen times before she finally figures it all out."

"Is that how you did it?" His arms went around her and he rubbed his cheek against hers.

"No," she murmured. "Just once. With you."

"I'm not sure if that should make me feel better or not." He grinned and squeezed her tight.

Snaking a hand down, she palmed his ass. "I think you need to take your mind off this for a bit. And I think I can help."

His mouth hovering over hers, he said, "What were we talking about?" When she laughed, he captured it with a kiss.

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"I'm so sorry, Ella." Henry sounded tired. "I really want to be there."

Swallowing against the lump in her throat, she nodded even though he couldn't see her. "It's okay. I know you have finals. We'll just take lots of pictures so my mom can drive you nuts with them later."

"Actually, Mom is going to video it for me."

"Really?" She forced her voice to be cool when she really wanted to squeal with delight. _He's going to watch the video so he doesn't completely miss it! _"Why?"

"Why do you think?" He stifled a yawn. "You're my best friend, practically the sister I never had, and you're Valedictorian. How could I miss that?"

There was a knot in her chest. A fist squeezed everything together until she couldn't breathe. She tried, sucking at the air like a fish out of water, but nothing happened. "Great," she managed to choke out. "Look, I need to get some sleep. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," Henry yawned again. "Night, Ella."

"Night."

The phone snapped shut before the tears came. She couldn't believe she'd held them in that long. How was it possible that Henry thought of her as a sister when she loved him?

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Dropping the phone, Henry closed his eyes and let out a strangled curse. _The sister I never had? What the fuck are you doing?_

"Was that her?" his roommate Carson asked without looking up from his computer.

Henry laid an arm over his eyes and mentally kicked himself one more time. "Yeah."

"What was that shit about her being your sister? I don't know any guys around here who have a picture of their sister on their desks…not unless the whole family is in it." Carson spun his chair around and grinned at Henry. "And even then that's a little weird."

"You've seen her, man. You know I don't stand a chance in hell of ever getting her to go out with me." Henry sighed and scrubbed at his face. "She's way outta my league."

Carson opened his mouth to argue then, disgusted, turned back to his studying. "I'm not arguing about this shit with you again. If you want the girl, Henry, go get her. If you don't, then stop sweating every damned date she has."

"Fuck you," Henry said without rancor.

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"Hey," Henry grinned down at her.

Ella opened her eyes and looked up at him. The sun was behind him, casting his face in shadows, making his hair look like a golden halo. "Hey." Even though her heart did that familiar flip, she kept her voice cool and her sunglasses in place.

"Ummmmm," he gestured to the lounge chair beside her. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Suit yourself," she said, shifting her bare legs and suppressing a grin when he turned his head to look at them. The pink bikini was the color of cotton candy and it practically glowed against her tan. She knew just how good she looked in it. And based on the way Henry was looking at her, he knew it too. Raising her arms, she stretched and smiled up at him, fighting back a laugh when she heard him swallow. _Sister he never had, my ass._

Slipping his shirt over his head, Henry settled in the chair beside her and put his hands behind his head. "When does your summer job start?"

"I have to work tonight." She dragged a hand over her stomach. "How about you?'

"Not until Friday." He reached for her glass of water and took a long drink. "I figured I'd earned a couple of days off."

"You did okay on your finals?" Ella twirled a strand of hair around a finger and licked her lips.

Henry shifted in the chair, bending a knee and resting his forearm on it. "Yeah. Should pull at least a 'B' in every class."

"Cool." She stood up and sauntered over to the edge of the pool. Bending down, she dragged a hand through the cool, blue water.

"So, you wanna go to the lake tomorrow?" She could feel his eyes on her.

Standing, she shook the water from her hand and said, "No. I've already got plans."

"Okay." Henry was silent for a long time and she fought back the urge to say something. Finally, he said, "Are you pissed about something?"

"What would I be pissed about?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. You're just acting weird."

"I just have a lot going on. It's my last few weeks before I go away to school and I've got a bunch of crap to get done." Absently, she dipped her foot in the water, her back to him.

"It's okay. I know how that goes." Henry stood up and walked around to the diving board. "When do classes start?"

"August twenty-eighth." She watched as he dove in, his lean muscular body cleaving the water with barely a splash. It had been almost a year since she'd seen him without a shirt and he seemed different. Thicker, broader, more masculine.

He surfaced less than a foot from where she stood at the edge of the pool and wrapped a wet hand around her ankle. His grin was mischievous and his eyes glinted. "You coming in?"

"Henry," she warned, "you don't want to do that."

"That's where you're wrong." He tugged gently, almost experimentally. "Come on, Ella. Jump in."

Then he had a hand on each ankle and his thumbs rubbed gently over the bones, the gesture totally unconscious, and she couldn't think about anything but how his hands felt. Shaking her head, she slowly backed away. "What are you doing?"

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"Huh?" Henry looked up at her and felt his stomach tighten. She had that look on her face. Even though her eyes were hidden by sunglasses, the set of her mouth, the spots of color on her cheeks told him he wasn't going to like whatever what coming next.

"I thought you said I was like the sister you never had. Well, if that's true stop looking at me like I'm what you're having for dinner." Ella stomped over to her lounge chair, her bare feet slapping against the concrete.

"Wait," he clambered out of the pool and followed her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit," she snapped. "I've had guys looking at me like that since I was fourteen. You think you're the only one? You think I don't know what those kind of looks mean?"

"I…uh…," he just stopped and shrugged helplessly.

She pushed her glasses up on top of her head and stared at him for a moment then rolled her eyes. "God, you are so stupid."

"I'm not stupid." He glared at her, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, right." She practically spit the words at him. "Prove it."

Henry watched her warily, not really sure what he was supposed to say. The one thing he did know was that she was beautiful on any day but when she was mad she was stunning. Her breathing was rapid and harsh and he couldn't take his eyes off the way her breasts were rising and falling under the tiny triangles of her top. Her eyes were shooting daggers at him and her chin was jutted out. And, honestly, he wanted to kiss her so bad he could actually feel his lips tingle.

"How the hell am I supposed to prove I'm not stupid," he hissed.

Triumph gleaming in her eyes, Ella gave him a slow smile. "Ask me out."

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"Who's the lucky girl?" Hotch glanced over at J.J. as Henry ran up the stairs like the hounds of hell were chasing him.

She gave him that grin, the one that said she knew a secret, and said, "Ella."

He nodded and then the import of what she said hit him. "Ella? As in Rossi?"

Her look said that she personally knew the cat who swallowed the canary. "Yep."

"Christ," he ran a hand over his hair. "Dave's gonna kill him."

"Hotch, she's been dating for a couple of years now. I think Dave's past the killing stage."

"Have you met him?" Hotch laughed.

J.J. grinned and shook her head. "I've heard the stories, too."

"This is his little girl we're talking about." He argued. "Those stories don't matter."

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His shorts were just the right amount of baggy. His shirt was just the right amount of tight. And the flip flops were just the right amount of worn. After all, he didn't want Ella to think he'd gone to too much trouble for this date she'd tricked him in to.

The blanket was in the trunk of the car along with the cooler. He'd wracked his brain for the past week trying to think of somewhere to take her that would be different but wouldn't require him to spend too much time with her alone. Not that he didn't want to be alone with her, nothing could be further from the truth. That was why he was determined to go somewhere very public.

"Where are we going?" She grinned at him from the passenger's seat.

Henry let his eyes drift over her. God, she was gorgeous. And she smelled so good. Sweet and floral. Very feminine. Dragging his eyes back to the road, he said, "Potomac Overlook. There's a concert tonight."

"Sweet." She shifted in the seat so she could reach the radio, turning up the volume. "You gonna feed me?"

Laughing, Henry nodded. "Thought we'd stop at Paulo's for subs, if that's okay. I've got a cooler with drinks in the back."

"Oooooooooooo. I _love_ Paulo's." She leaned back and ran a hand through the black silk of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "But no onions, Henry."

"What? Why?" He saw her watching him with those big dark eyes, a teasing half smile on her generous mouth and he had to grip the steering wheel tighter to keep from touching her. "Gotcha," he mumbled.

Ella reached out and laid a cool hand on his arm. "It wouldn't be a date without a goodnight kiss."

Henry wanted to say something funny or snarky, something to break the tension and set her back a step or two but the only thing he could think of was how much he wanted to kiss her. And he didn't want to wait hours for that to happen.

"What if I want to kiss you now?" The words tumbled out before he could stop them.

Her head snapped around and she stared at him, her lips parted in surprise. Then she smiled, slow and knowing. "Maybe you should stop the car first. We might have a wreck."

The sign for Paulo's was just up ahead and the sight of it had his body tightening in anticipation. God knows he had tried to stay away from her but she wasn't cooperating. So, if she wanted this, really wanted it, then who was he to argue. Flipping on his blinker, he moved to the turn lane and then pulled into the parking lot.

Without the noise of the engine or the radio the silence in the car seemed deafening. Henry released his seatbelt and turned to face Ella, his hand coming up to brush her cheek. "It's not too late," he said, his eyes searching hers.

She leaned toward him. "Yes it is," she whispered.

Henry knew she was right because her breath ghosted along his mouth and her lips fit with his and her little sigh of pleasure sounded just the way he'd always thought it would. Then she opened her mouth and her tongue touched his and he fell just a little deeper.

_Sweet. _That's the one word that kept running through his mind. She tasted so sweet. Like strawberries, he realized. Her tongue was rough and warm on his, sliding and teasing as her hand clutched at his thigh. For the first time he allowed himself to thread his fingers through her hair, cup the back of her head and kiss her the way he'd dreamed about for as long as he could remember.

They were both straining against the console, trying in vain to get closer when a sharp rap on the roof of the car had them jumping apart.

"You know, this isn't the best place for that, right?" Will's voice drawled in through the half open window.

Henry could feel himself blushing as he turned to face his father. "Yes, sir. I know." He turned the key and lowered the window the rest of the way. "I…uh…I…"

Will chuckled. "Are you going in? Or were you planning on staying out here all night?"

"We're going in. Gonna pick up some sandwiches and then head to Potomac Park for the concert."

Will leaned down and said, "Hi. I'm…" His voice trailed off and his eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, Ella. How've you been?"

She gave a slight wave. "I've been doing good, Uncle Will."

"Good. Why don't you two get out and quit giving these nice folks such a show." Will looked like he was trying to decide if he should laugh at them or give them a lecture. "You have time to eat with your old man?"

Henry and Ella climbed out of the car and Henry shook his head. "Sorry, Dad. The show starts at 8:30 and we'll never get a good spot if we don't get there early."

Once inside, Ella excused herself to go to the bathroom. Henry was pretty sure it was more from embarrassment than anything else. Will waited until she was just out of earshot before saying, "Henry, do you know what you're doing?"

He wanted to blow that question off. After all, he was twenty and plenty old enough to make his own decisions. But something inside him actually wanted his dad's advice. "I don't have a clue."

Will smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You two have been friends for a very long time. The easiest way to lose a friend is by making them a girlfriend."

Henry shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. "I know. And I tried to stay away from her. I swear," he stressed. "She…she tricked me." He actually felt like hanging his head at that.

"You'll have to tell me that story one day." Will laughed. "Just make sure you know what you want. And remember, if you hurt her even I won't be able to protect you from David Rossi."

The thought made Henry more than a little nervous. He had always been convinced that Uncle Dave had connections with people who would be happy to make him disappear.

Ella was heading back from the restroom when Will leaned over and whispered in his ear. "And if your Aunt Emily realizes you're even thinking about having sex with her little girl, she'll hunt you down and cut it off."

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"I don't want him here unless one of us is at home." Dave snapped, his lips turned down in a frown.

Shock rippled through her. Gaping at her father, Ella threw up her hands. "Mom?" she spun, her eyes pleading with Emily for help.

Emily shook her head. "Sorry, Ella. I'm with your dad on this one."

"But…but…that's so stupid." She was so mad she couldn't even think of anything else to say.

"It may be," Emily replied laying a hand on Dave's shoulder in what Ella knew was a show of solidarity. "But those are the rules."

"Well they don't make sense." Then she realized why they were being so weird about this and she rolled her eyes. "Henry's been hanging out here with me _alone _since he could drive. I've managed not to jump his bones before now."

"You weren't dating him then." Dave pointed out, his eyes hard and unyielding.

Hurt, she barked out a harsh laugh. "I can't believe you don't trust me."

"Ella, it isn't that we don't trust you." Emily tried to soothe her.

"Then what is it?" Ella shook her head. "That's exactly what the problem is. You think that a couple of movies and a concert and I'm gonna…" She broke off, tears swimming in her eyes, too humiliated to even say the words.

"Ella," Emily said, "that's not what we think."

"Sure it is." She gulped back tears. "Thanks a lot."

Turning she fled up the stairs to her room.

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"Sometimes I just hate them." Ella sniffled, her voice thick with tears.

Henry sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. "No you don't. You're just pissed."

"And you're not?" She barked out a laugh.

He was silent for a bit, gathering his thoughts. "Not really." At her humph of disbelief, he added, "I'd probably be the same way if it was my kid."

"That is total bullshit. They should trust us." He could hear her breathing hard. "I think we should do it anyway."

Although he was pretty sure she didn't mean _do it _he couldn't help the reaction of his body. "Do what?"

"You should come over tomorrow just like we planned." He could almost see the gears turning in her mind. "It's not like they would ever know. Mom is teaching that class all day and Dad is taking the shuttle to New York to meet with his publisher. I'll have the whole place to myself."

"No." Henry pushed away the thought of being alone with her, truly alone, and called on the lessons his parents had tried so hard to teach him. "That's a bad plan."

"Why?" Now she was pissed at him too, her voice incredulous. "You don't want to be alone with me?"

"No!" Realizing how that sounded, he changed his tune. "Yes. Damnit, Ella, don't confuse me. I want to be alone with you." He dragged a hand over his face and sighed. "For exactly the reason that your parents don't want me to be."

"You mean you want to…," her voice trailed off and he kicked himself for being such an idiot. She was probably never going to speak to him again after that. "Henry?"

"Yeah. Of course I want to." _Too late to turn back now. _"Since that summer when you had that one bathing suit that was brown with the blue trim."

"I was fourteen." She sounded mystified.

"You were hot." It was the truth. Somehow, when he wasn't paying attention, she'd changed. She had curves where there hadn't been any, and her too skinny legs had turned long and shapely. And for the first time he'd realized how incredible she really was.

Her voice was husky when she asked, "Are you sure? I don't have to be at work until six."

Closing his eyes he let her face invade his mind. Her smile would be just a little sexier than normal, her eyes a little more knowing, and she'd twirl her hair around her finger and tilt her head to the side and he would be gone. What he really wanted to know was where did girls learn those things? Was there a class? Did their mothers pull them aside and say, "Hey, there are some things you need to know?" And why the hell didn't dads tell their sons how to fight it?

"I really, really want to. But I can't disrespect your parents that way. I just can't."

Her sigh was long suffering and he wanted to laugh because he'd heard that sound a million times before. "I know," she whined. "But I really want to see you."

"Then let's meet up somewhere. We can go to Upton Hill." He paused then said, "We can play putt-putt and I'll let you win."

"You don't have to let me!" she shrieked. "I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back."

The sad part about that was she could. Since she was tall enough to hold a club she'd been playing golf with her dad. She might not be ready to join the LPGA tour but she was really good. Will had been good for teaching Henry how to fish but golf wasn't his thing. And Henry's relationship with Hotch had been too strained for too long for Henry to learn the game from him. So, yeah, she _could_ beat him with one hand tied behind her back.

"So, are we on?" He felt himself grinning like an idiot.

"Just tell me where and when." She laughed and his heart did a slow flip in his chest.

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"I wish I had a few extra weeks," She squeezed Henry's hand and hoped that he couldn't feel how hers was trembling.

He flicked a glance at her then turned back to the road. "Me too.

The sun was nothing more than a thin band of orange along the horizon and stars were beginning to blink to life in the indigo sky above them. Laying there on the blanket, the Potomac sliding sinuously along twenty feet away, Ella stared up at the moon and the clouds scudding across its yellow surface. Henry's quiet breathing was barely audible over the rustle of the leaves in the soft breeze.

"You think anybody's missing us?" Henry's voice was low and husky and sent a shiver through her. Just a short distance along the river, twenty or so of their friends were sitting around a campfire at the campsites they had all rented for the night. She could hear laughter and music; smell the smoke from the fire.

"I doubt it," she murmured. The night air was humid, lying as heavy as a blanket against her skin. A sweet lethargy was stealing over her, as the last vestiges of light disappeared from the sky.

Henry released her hand and turned to face her, propping himself up on his elbow. "Good. I don't feel like being around a whole lot of people right now."

She released a trembling breath and searched his face in the silvered light. "Me either." Butterflies had started up in her stomach making her feel like giggling. But there was something in the weight of his gaze that had the sound freezing in her throat.

"You're beautiful, Ella." He whispered, his lips inches from hers. Then he kissed her.

Soft. His mouth was so soft, so gentle that she instinctively wrapped a hand behind his neck to draw him closer. But he just made an 'uh-uh' sound and brushed his mouth over hers again and again until she felt herself relaxing into the rhythm of it. The night sounds faded away, the low croak of frogs and the raspy song of the cicadas merely background for the rasp of her own breathing, the gust of her own sigh.

Finally, when she thought she would scream with the need for more, he slanted his mouth over hers and ran his tongue along her lower lip. Then it was his groan she heard, low and deep and needy. His tongue was against hers, stroking, seeking, teasing, and his hand slid over her stomach and settled on the curve of her hip, tugging her against him until she could feel his hardness against her thigh.

Arching her back, she pressed closer and tangled her hand in his hair. It was silky, the short strands feathering through her fingers, tickling her palm. Just touching him like that, his hair, the nape of his neck, was enough to make her all jittery inside. But when he kissed her something inside her tightened until she was sure she might break even as her bones seemed to melt. Needing to be closer, Ella rolled on to her side, pressing her body against his, sliding her leg over his.

"God," he groaned and slipped his hand over her hip until he was palming her ass, holding her against him. "Ella."

Her clothes were too tight. Even her skin felt too tight. Hot and feverish was the best way to describe how he made her feel. Like she was on fire. "Yeah?" she gasped as he ran his tongue along the side of her neck.

"Can I touch you?" He sounded nervous, like he was afraid of what her answer might be. A sweet rush of emotion ran through her.

If he could feel what she was feeling, feel the hot pulse low in her belly and the way her breasts felt swollen, he wouldn't worry. "Ye…yeah," she managed to whisper.

Then his hand was under her shirt and sliding up her back. Big and slightly rough it smoothed over her skin and, despite the heat, Ella felt goose bumps break out all over her body and she shivered.

"What?" Henry pulled back so that she could see his face. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled at him. "Better than fine."

His teeth flashed white as he smiled. "Me too." His hand slipped further up her back, fingers trailing along her spine. "You feel so good."

Ella was holding her breath, waiting for his hand on her breast. What she really wanted was to grab his arm and move his hand until it was where she wanted it. But she didn't know if she should, how he would feel about it if she did. So she waited with every nerve on fire, with her nipples aching, for him to really touch her.

He was kissing her again, rougher than before, his teeth bumping hers as he pressed her back against the blanket. Then his hand slid over her ribs and cupped her breast and she couldn't stop the whimper of sheer relief at the feel of his warm palm through her bra.

"Does that feel good?" He squeezed gently and the pulse in her belly turned into a throb, lust sang in her veins.

Arching into his hand, she nodded. "Yes," she hissed out.

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_Oh dear God. _Henry's mind was completely blown. This was Ella. Ella's mouth. Ella's breast. Ella whimpering beneath him. Just the thought of it had his control stretched to its limits. Her hands were on him, skimming over his back and butt. Underneath his palm, her heart was pounding.

"Does that feel good?" He squeezed gently, loving the feel of her softness yielding to his hand.

Arching into his touch, she nodded. "Yesss."

He wanted to see her, to taste her skin. Pulling away from her, he worked her shirt up, pushing the fabric out of his way. When it was bunched under her arms, she helped him tug it over her head. Then he was fumbling at the front clasp of her bra and it opened for him and she was bare.

"So beautiful," he whispered against her sternum. He pressed his lips to the curve of her breast and felt her chest rise as she sucked in air. The ability to think, to reason, left him. Instead, he was immersed in Ella. Nothing existed outside of her, outside of them. The sweet scent of her skin, flowery with the underlying musk of clean sweat, surrounded him. The taste of her was salty against his tongue. The feel of her was like silk against his lips and hands.

When his lips closed over her nipple, Ella moaned, a low hungry sound. Henry lifted his head, letting his tongue drag over her as he watched her face. Her head was thrown back, her mouth open, the long line of her throat working as she arched her back, pressing her breast against his mouth. God, he wanted her. So much. More than he had ever wanted any other girl.

Tentatively, Ella slipped her hands under his shirt. "Henry?" Her voice trembled in his ear; her hands trembled against his back. "Take off your shirt."

Without a word, Henry sat up and ripped the garment over his head, half way afraid she was going to change her mind if he took too long. Then she was tugging him down until her skin was on his, and he burned. Her breasts were soft against his chest, her nipples hard. Her tongue was pushing into his mouth, strong and rough and silky against his own. He palmed her breast and slid his thumb over her nipple and she rocked her hips against him.

"Ella." He slid his mouth along her cheek, then pulled back to search her face. Her eyes were nearly black in the moonlight and she looked a little dazed. "If you want to stop please tell me now. I…," he broke off unsure about what to say. He didn't want to push her. But his body was aching and every move, every sound only made him want her more.

Ella shook her head, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. "I want… I don't want you to think…" She bit her lip and lowered her eyes.

Henry groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Oh, Ella," he pressed his lips to her skin and feathered a thumb over her nipple, sighing when she shivered. "I would never think anything like that about you."

Her hands slid over his back, her fingers dipping below the waistband of his shorts. "Okay," she whispered, pushing aside the nagging voice of her mother and the reproachful eyes of her father.

"Okay?" he asked. She nodded and he could feel her cheek against his hair. Suddenly his stomach was twisted in a knot. He wanted her, more than he wanted his next breath, but the reality scared him.

"Henry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He ran his tongue along her collar bone and then sucked at the thin skin there. "Nothing's wrong."

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She was nervous. Maybe more than nervous. Possibly terrified. Henry's fingers were fumbling with the button on her shorts and his mouth was sucking at her breasts and she didn't know what to do with her hands or her arms or her legs. Everything just seemed so awkward and new. But this was Henry and she trusted him.

His hand slid into her shorts, his fingers pushing past the elastic of her panties until he was cupping her sex. Instinctively she tightened her legs, nerves making her jumpy. His finger pressed against her and slid over her and it felt so good she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Her thighs relaxed, opening for him. Then he licked her nipple and she was pressing against his hand, wishing desperately that he would touch that one spot that ached more than the rest.

With infinite gentleness, he pressed his finger inside her and Ella simply held her breath and _felt_.

It was all so foreign and yet so right. His mouth was open and wet against her chest and her throat and her breasts. His back was smooth and hot under her hands. His legs were rough against hers. And when he whispered for her to take her shorts off, his voice was raw. Then she was naked in the moonlight and Henry's finger was sliding in and out of her and the heel of his hand was bumping against her mound and the tightness in her stomach and between her legs was twisting higher and higher.

Her hips were moving, rocking against his hand and she couldn't seem to stop them. He sucked on her nipple and ground his hand against _that spot_ and her entire body went hot. Then her world exploded.

"Oh, God!" She clutched at Henry's shoulders like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth. The feelings were amazing and scary. She was more than a little out of control. "Henry?"

"Shhhhhh," he whispered just before his mouth covered hers and he swallowed the moans she couldn't contain.

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She was shaking. Right there underneath him, with his finger buried inside her and her tongue sliding strong and smooth against his. And moaning. And coming undone. He searched her face, watching as her eyes fluttered open and she focused on him. A slow smile spread over her mouth.

She was the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

And he needed to be inside her.

"God, Ella," he said through teeth clenched so tight his jaws ached. "That was amazing. You're amazing." He slipped his finger from her body.

Licking her lips, she skated her hands along his chest and tugged at the button on his shorts. "Do you have protection?"

Her question didn't register for a second, then he shook his head to clear it and said, "Uh…yeah."

Ella's mouth landed on his chin as she worked his zipper down. When her hands brushed over his erection he sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. "Is this okay?" She pushed at the waistband of his shorts trying to work them down over his hips.

His laugh was almost harsh. "Oh yeah," he groaned out as her fingers brushed over his bare skin.

Rolling away from her, Henry worked his shorts down and fumbled in his pocket for his wallet and the condom it contained. His erection was throbbing and his hands were shaking and rolling the thing on was almost more than he could stand. Turning back, he saw that Ella was propped up on her elbows watching him.

She gave him a slightly self-conscious grin and lay down again. "I just wanted to see."

A little confused then more than a little flattered, Henry settled himself between her legs. _Please don't let this be over too soon. _Her heat, the smooth skin of her thighs, the slight pain of her fingernails digging into his shoulders was all he could focus on. Nothing else existed outside those three things. Then he reached down and steadied himself and pressed forward with his hips and time seemed to stop.

"Ella?" Henry raised his head from the crook of her neck and looked down at her. "Are you…?"

Biting her lip, she nodded. "Please, Henry."

Suddenly the moment was about so much more than just having sex with Ella. Ashley hadn't been a virgin. Neither had any of the three girls he'd slept with since he'd been at Virginia Tech. Maybe if it were anybody other than Ella he wouldn't worry about it. But it was her and he was worried.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He knew it was a stupid question.

Her eyes flashed but she didn't let him go. "Did you tell me?"

Shaking his head, he sucked in air. "But this is… Are you sure?"

"I want it to be with you." She moved her hips, rubbing against him. "Please."

His heart was pounding in his chest and he could feel his body shaking. A hot wave of emotion rolled through him. Beneath him, Ella rocked her hips again and he had to bite the inside of his jaw to keep from ramming into her.

"Don't do that," he gasped out. When her brow crinkled in confusion, he said, "If you keep doing that with your hips I'm not gonna last."

Her eyes widened and she blushed and said, "Sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't be sorry." Henry brushed a hand over her cheek. "I just need to go slow and I can't if you do that."

"Oh," the implication of his words dawned and she smiled up at him. "I'll remember that for next time."

He gave a soft chuff of laughter. "Let's try again." He kissed her, slow and languid. "You'll tell me if I hurt you?"

She nodded and this time he could see the fear lurking in her eyes. Once again, he used his hand to steady himself at her opening and then slowly, gently pushed forward with his hips. She tensed beneath him, her body straining against him.

"Relax, Ella," he whispered, pressing his mouth to her throat. "Let me in."

Rocking his hips back and forth, he nudged against her until he felt her muscles start to loosen. Then he pressed forward again. He felt something give and he was inside her.

She was biting her lip, her teeth white against the deep red of her mouth. Her eyes were closed and her whole body was trembling against his.

"Did I hurt you?" He was pretty sure he had but he wanted to her hear deny it.

"Give me just a second," she opened her eyes and looked up at him and he could see everything in her gaze; the wonder and the pain and the joy.

Watching her face, he slid out just a little and then pushed back in. He told himself that he could stop if she wanted him too but she felt so good, so right that he was pretty sure he was lying. Even through the condom she was like fire around him. So hot and tight he could barely think. He knew he wouldn't last long. There was no way he could. Everything that had happened up until now combined with the feel of her surrounding him was pushing him quickly toward the edge.

"It's so good," he whispered, burying his face in her neck. "So good."

Ella was wrapped around him, her arms and legs clinging to him as he moved inside her. Her breath was hot against his shoulder and she was making a little humming sound in her throat. He tried to take his mind off how tight she was. He tried thinking of the formulas used in Mohr's Circle but even that didn't seem to be able to distract him from how she felt. Then she tightened her muscles around him and he was flying and Ella was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth.

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Forensic Files was on the TV but Emily wasn't watching it. Instead she was watching Ella, waiting on a reaction.

"How did you find out?" Ella eyed her warily.

Dragging a hand over her eyes, her heart breaking just a little, Emily sighed. "You just told me."

"Does Dad know?"

Ella tried to sound like she didn't care but Emily could read her better than that. Shaking her head, Emily said, "No. I don't think he needs to know."

Eyes widened in surprise, Ella said, "You don't?"

"Believe it or not, Ella, I don't think he needs to know everything." She gave her daughter a tired smile. "This is your business." She held up a hand when Ella started to say something. "Unfortunately, as much as I would like to, I can't be with you for every decision you have to make. But I want to make sure you're protecting yourself."

Ella rolled her eyes. "Of course. We've been over all this."

"I know we have, honey. Really." With the tiniest bit of regret still tugging at her heart, Emily said, "But you can never be too careful."

Ella was blushing. "God, Mom, it was only once. Chill."

"It only takes once."

"I know how it happens." Ella drew her feet up in the chair and studied her toes, refusing to meet her mother's eyes.

Emily couldn't help it, she snorted out a laugh. "Obviously."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her dad's truck was loaded with her suitcases, a couple of totes and a few boxes. The three of them were leaving first thing in the morning to drive down to Williamsburg and check her into her dorm at William & Mary. Just the thought had Ella's stomach tied in knots.

She'd said goodbye to her friends earlier in the week so that her final night would be free for Henry. Honestly, she'd rather spend her last few hours with him than at a party. So just the two of them were back out by the river, on that same blanket, staring up at the stars as their hearts slowed back to normal.

"It's going to be a long time until Christmas." She winced at the words. Even though they were together, they hadn't talked about what was going to happen when they both left for school and she didn't want to sound needy or clingy.

Henry's hand slipped over her back. "A very long time." He pressed his lips to her hair. "I'm gonna miss you."

The words only made the sick feeling worse. "You know, if you…," she swallowed hard, "if you want to see other people I'll understand."

He was silent. So silent she wasn't sure he was even breathing. His hand went still and he stiffened in her arms. "Is that what you want?"

"No!"

"Then what the hell are you talking about?" He was looking down at her and she could tell he wasn't happy.

Sitting up, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Looking out across the river, she watched the ripples of moonlight on the slow moving water. There was a breeze and it played over her naked skin like a caress. "I don't know. It's just that we've never talked about it and I don't want you to think that just because we," she waved a hand between them, "had sex that you're obligated or something."

Pushing himself up, he mimicked her position. "Is that how you think I feel? Obligated?"

"That's just it. I don't know how you feel." She shrugged but her heart was pounding against her ribs and she wasn't sure she would survive the next few minutes. If he said he wanted to see other people she would probably break.

"I thought you knew me better."

His voice was low and angry and hurt. Ella turned her head and looked at him. His jaw was set, his shoulders hunched. "Henry," she laid a hand on his arm. "I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just, I don't know, saving you the trouble of having to tell me."

"Tell you what? That I dream about you? That I miss you when I'm not with you? That the thought of you being two hundred miles away is driving me crazy?" He ran a hand through his hair and she couldn't help but notice the way the light made his tan skin seem more golden. "Or maybe you wanted to save me the trouble of telling you that I love you?"

Stunned, she simply stared at him for a moment. "You love me?"

"Of course." He turned to look at her, his eyes skating over her face. "What did you think?" Then he held up a hand. "Nevermind. I know what you thought."

"Oh crap." Ella pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle that was bubbling inside her. "Really?"

"Damnit, Ella," Henry growled. "That's what I'm saying. I love you."

With a squeal that would never be considered ladylike or mature, Ella flung herself at him, knocking him over and landing on top of him. Their naked limbs twined together and she pressed sloppy kisses all over his face.

"I love you, too." She looked down at him, a huge smile on her face. "I've loved you forever."

Grinning, Henry wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over. "Thank God. I thought I was gonna puke. Probably would have if you'd said anything else."

Laughing, she pulled his head down and kissed him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Daddy." Ella stuck her head in his office door. "Have you got a minute?"

"For you?" He gave her a lopsided grin. "Always. What's up?" Dave was pretty sure something was going on, because she hadn't called him daddy in years, not since she got her driver's license at least.

She sank onto the loveseat beneath the window, tucked her feet underneath her and sighed. "How did you know Mom was the one?"

"Wow." Dave leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his mouth. To say he was surprised by her question would have been an understatement. "What's this all about?"

Ella shrugged and chewed on her lower lip. "I don't know. It's just that there's this guy at school, and he keeps asking me out." She picked some invisible lint off her pants leg and shook her head. "Sometimes I want to say yes just to know what it would be like."

Planting his hands on his desk, he pushed to his feet and moved over to sit next to her. "Did you have a fight with Henry?"

"No," she hastened to assure him. "It's not Henry. Henry's great."

"Okay," he nodded, dragging the word out and trying to take it all in. Dave was confident Emily would be much better at this but Emily wasn't the one Ella was talking to. "Then why don't you tell me what the problem is."

She looked at him then, tears swimming in her eyes, and said, "What if he's not the right one? What if I'm missing the right one because I'm with Henry?"

Reaching out, he clasped her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Ella, you're only nineteen." When she started to protest, he shook his head. "And you have so much life ahead of you. I want, above all, for you to be happy."

"I know." She swiped at her eyes. "And I _am_ happy. I'm just…confused."

"Ah, Princess, life is never as simple as we want it to be." He slid his fingers between hers, linked their hands and settled back, relaxing into the cushions. He opened his mouth to encourage her to go out with this other guy. He knew she was in deep with Henry and he was so afraid she was going to do something she would regret later on. Quit school, get married, give up her goals and dreams. Then he realized two things. This was Ella and she wasn't that easily led. And he had to let her make her own decisions, her own mistakes. "I wish I could just tell you what to do. But it doesn't work that way."

Turning her head to look at him, she grinned. "It used to."

"Yeah, well, I was a lot smarter then." With a sigh and a shake of his head, Dave said, "I haven't always made the best choices when it comes to matters of the heart."

"Dad." She rolled her eyes. "You've been married more times than Elizabeth Taylor."

"Hey!" He tried hard to look offended but couldn't stop his chuckle. "You're off by a few, but it's true, I don't have the best track record. So, maybe I'm not the one you want to ask for advice."

"Maybe that's why I'm asking you." Ella shrugged.

They fell silent and Dave wracked his brain for some words of wisdom, some way to give her adivce without telling her what to do. He wasn't sure that telling her about Emma was the right thing to do. After all, he didn't end up with the first girl he fell in love with. Or even the fourth. But he did end up with the right one and that was the important part.

Then it hit him, and he chuckled. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. Some of them from stupidity, some from stubborness, some from fear." Nodding when she looked at him, he continued, "In fact, I almost lost you and your mother."

"Seriously?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "What happened?"

"You mom was pregnant with you and I was overwhelmed with all the changes in our relationship, in my home," he looked at her, trying to convey how much this little bit of honesty was costing him, "in my life." Looking around, he grimaced at the memory. "In case you've never noticed, I like things neat and orderly.

Ella barked out a laugh that reminded him so much of his own mother that his heart clenched. "Really?" She waved a hand at the bookshelves behind his desk where his books were organized by subject and then author, every spine even with the one beside it; at his desk where the blotter was lined up exactly with the edge of the wood and the pages of his latest manuscript were stacked neatly in the center of the leather.

"Don't you know it's not nice to laugh at your father?" He tried to sound gruff, but figured he'd failed when she just laughed harder. "Seriously, I was terrified. Not that I didn't want you, I just didn't know how to deal with the reality of a wife and a baby."

"But you'd been married before." She shook her head. "I don't get it. Why was it such a big deal?"

"Because I was scared." He sighed. "Look, I'm not easy to live with and I know it. And what happens if I get used to you two being around and then you're gone? How would I learn to live without you?"

"So, you think I'm just scared?" She was nodding now and he could almost see her mind working as she started to understand what he was telling her.

"I think it would be weird if you weren't." He smiled at her, his heart swelling with love and pride for the woman-child sitting beside him. Nobody ever told him that the love he felt for her, while constant in its presence, would change and grow as she did. "What I'm saying is don't throw away what's right in front of you because of fear."

"So, I shouldn't go out with the guy at school?" She drew her knees up and rested her chin on them.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." He leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees and scrubbed his hands over his face. "You know, interrogating suspects is much easier than this."

"Thanks," she drawled.

"Chin up, Princess," he smiled. "Ask yourself how you really feel about Henry. I know you see your friends going out with different guys and it's only natural to want to do that. But Henry is a good guy. Be sure about what you really want before you do something you can't undo."

She was silent for a long moment and he let her work through her thoughts. Finally, she looked up and said, "Thanks, Dad."

"I don't know how much I helped but you can always talk to me." He leaned over and kissed her hair. "I hope you know that."

"I do." Ella wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him despite the awkward position. "Now." She pulled back and grinned at him. "Tell me how you got mom to stay."

Shaking his head and chuckling, he said, "They don't call it the 'infamous Rossi charm' for nothing."

"Dad," she groaned. "Seriously."

"Ask your mother." He stood and pulled her to her feet. "Now get out of here, I've got work to do. Somebody's gotta pay for that school of yours."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The lights on the Christmas tree were the only illumination. Even the fire had burned down to nothing more than a pile of deep orange-red embers that reminded her of the summer sun setting over the Potomac. Snuggled there in Henry's arms, Ella thought about the conversation she'd had with her father just a few days before. When Henry was with her, smiling at her, laughing with her, listening to her, making love to her, everything felt so right. It was only when they were apart for weeks on end that she started to doubt him, to doubt them.

"I got a job offer," Henry said softly, his hand sliding through her hair.

"Really?" Excitement coursing through her, Ella sat up so she could see his face. "That's great!" She knew he had been really worried about finding a job considering the amount of competition and this had to be a huge relief for him.

He shrugged. "I guess."

"Not the one you wanted?" she asked, trepidation creeping in to settle in her stomach.

"It's with the company I did the internship with." He looked at her, his eyes dark and worried. "There's just one problem. The position is in Phoenix."

"Oh." The knot in her stomach turned into a huge hollow place. "Phoenix?"

"I can turn it down," Henry said quickly.

"No!" She shook her head. "I don't want you to do that," she lied. She wanted nothing more than for him to turn the job down and stay with her. No matter what her dad said, the thought of Henry taking a job in Phoenix was more than she wanted to think about.

"Ella," he argued, "it's a job. There are other jobs."

"But it's a good offer?" She watched him, reading the truth in his face. With a shake of her head, she said, "No way. You can't do that."

"I was hoping for Richmond. Or at least somewhere closer than Arizona." He brushed a hand over her cheek. "I'm going to keep sending out applications."

"When do you have to let them know?"

"I have to give them an answer by mid-January. So, three weeks?" Henry ran a hand through his hair. "Damnit, Ella, I don't know what to do."

She reached out and smoothed the hair he had ruffled, her hand lingering. "You take the job, Henry. It's what you've worked for."

Turning his head, he placed a kiss against her wrist. "I don't want to be that far away from you."

"I know," she sighed. "I don't want that either."

He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. "Then come with me," he whispered against her lips.

"What?' Ella gasped. "Henry, I can't do that."

"Why not?" He grabbed her hands, his eyes locked on hers. "Arizona State is close. You could transfer."

She was shaking her head before he finished. "You know William & Mary has the best Public Policy program in the country. I can't just transfer." Now there's a little anger slipping through her, heating her blood. "That's not fair. I'm not asking you to stay here for me."

When he looked at her his eyes were full of hurt. "You don't have to ask. I _want_ to stay."

That stung. The pain in his eyes, the sadness in his voice, the way he pulled his hands away from hers. "Don't," she snapped. "I love you, Henry. But I need to finish school."

"So, you won't even think about it?"

Tears stung her eyes, but she shook her head again, standing firm. "I can't."

Henry pushed to his feet, pacing over to stand in front of the fireplace. With his back to her, he asked, "Can't or won't?"

Ella wrapped her arms around his waist. "Henry, I just…"

He slipped away from her. "You know what, Ella? I'm gonna go."

"No. We should talk about this." She hated the desperation in her voice, but letting him leave seemed like the wrong thing to do.

"Not now." He leaned in and brushed his lips perfunctorily over hers. "I'll call you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The beer was cold and Virginia Tech was up by a field goal. _What more could a guy ask for?_ Henry raised the bottle and took a deep drink.

"You got one of those for me?" Will's drawl had Henry raising bleary eyes from the TV screen.

It took him a couple of heartbeats to focus on his father. "In the fridge," he mumbled, letting his eyes drift back to the game.

Before Henry realized he was gone, Will was back and dropping into the recliner. Beer in hand, he kicked his feet up. Raising his bottle, he smiled. "I drank a lot of this in college. Thought it was pretty good beer at the time."

"It's shit," Henry said blandly and took a swallow. "But it's cheap."

"Oh, you're right about that." Will took another sip. "You wanna tell me about it?"

"About what?" Henry kept his eyes on the TV and picked at the label on the sweating bottle.

Will chuckled. "Whatever it is you and Ella are fighting about."

"I don't want to talk about Ella." He tried to take another swallow from his bottle then realized it was empty. "Shit," he hissed and pushed to his feet.

Will sighed and set his bottle down. "Henry, sit down and talk to me."

Henry just kept walking. He wasn't in the mood to talk. "Not much to talk about, Dad." He was pretty sure his words were slurred, because his tongue felt like it was twice its normal size. He was drunk and that was just fine with him. "I'm going to bed." He swayed and put a hand out in an effort to steady himself.

"Okay," Will nodded. "You get some sleep and we'll try again in the morning."

"Great." Carefully, he released his hold on the wall. "Night."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jayj?" Will tried to keep the worry out of his voice but this was J.J. and she'd always been able to read him better than anybody else. "It's me."

"What is it? Is Henry okay?" The words came out in staccato, the questions blurred together as she rushed to ask them.

"He's fine." He ran a hand through his hair and let out a slow breath. "Well, he's not hurt."

"Okay?" She sounded a little confused and he could picture her sitting there with her feet up on the sofa, Hotch next to her, the phone pressed to her ear and her eyes narrowed. "So what's up?"

"I think he might've gotten dumped." Will glanced at the beer sitting beside him and grimaced. It really was bad beer and he just couldn't choke any more of it down. "I got home from work and he was…uh…drunk."

"Drunk?" She squeaked. "Henry?"

"Hey." He held up a hand like she could see him. "It's not illegal. And he isn't going anywhere. He's already gone to bed."

She was silent for several long seconds. "Wow. Did you ask him what's going on?"

"Of course I did. He won't talk about it. Figured I'd try again in the morning."

"Do you want me to…come over?" She sucked in a breath. "I could try to talk to him."

"Nah," he scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "I just wanted you to know what's going on. I'll keep you posted."

"Okay," she didn't sound convinced and he held his breath hoping she wouldn't insist on being there for breakfast. Then she sighed, a sure sign she was going to let him handle things, and he relaxed. "I'll call Emily; see if she knows what's going on. If Henry's a wreck torn up I'll bet Ella is too."

"Sounds like a plan." Having run out of things to say, Will fell silent. As the quiet stretched out, heading like a freight train toward awkward, he wondered why it had to be this way. It's not that they didn't get along, but their lives had diverged and the only thing they seemed to have in common anymore was Henry.

"Great," J.J. jumped in just in time. "I'll…uh…I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"'Kay," he nodded. "I'll call you when I find out what he's up to."

"Thanks," she murmured. "Night Will."

When he hung up, he picked up the lukewarm beer and drained it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emily poked her head into Ella's bedroom. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Ella mumbled without opening her eyes. She was curled up on the bed, huddled under a quilt while the television played quietly. The curtains were closed and the room was dim and shadowy.

"It might make you feel better." Emily moved into the room, stepping over a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt that hadn't made it to the laundry basket, and sank down on the edge of the bed. "You've been closed up in here for two days." And she had been, coming out only for the occasional glass of water or to use the bathroom. Emily was pretty sure she hadn't eaten a real meal in that time either.

Ella drew in a shuddering breath and tears leaked from beneath her closed lids. "There's nothing you can do."

Her voice was quiet, almost small, and it tore at Emily's heart. "Oh, sweetheart, it can't be that bad." She brushed a hand over Ella's hair and resisted the urge to pull the girl into her arms. Instead, she lay down and curled up beside Ella and said, "Come on. Tell me."

When the first sob shook Ella's slender body, Emily felt it in her chest. With everything she had seen in her life, Emily was pretty sure the worst thing in the world was to see her child suffering and not be able to fix it. Raising a trembling hand, Emily brushed at the tears on Ella's cheeks and fought against the burning in her own eyes.

"We…had a fight," Ella sobbed out. "And…and he…hasn't called me in…days." The words were garbled, but Emily heard every one.

This time she did wrap her arms around Ella. "Shhhhhhhhhhhh." Emily held her, stroking her hair and murmuring to her as Ella snuggled closer and cried like she might never stop.

When, finally, the tears stopped and Ella's sobs were nothing more than hiccups, Emily left her long enough to go and grab some tissue. Climbing back on the bed, she said, "Here. Wipe your face and then tell me what happened."

Ella swiped at her cheeks and blew her nose and managed to work up a watery smile. "Thanks."

Smiling, feeling the ache around her heart ease a little, Emily shrugged. "It's what I do."

"Mom," Ella groaned out. "You do way more than that."

Emily sighed and shifted, looking for a more comfortable position. "So, you ready to tell me?"

Nodding, Ella started twisting the tissue into a soggy ball. "He got a job offer." She looked up at Emily and swallowed hard. "In Phoenix."

"Oh, honey," Emily crooned. "I'm sorry."

"That's not all." Ella's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked furiously. Emily tried to ignore the hot dread that filled her. "He wants me to go with him."

"Ella, you can't do that." Her first instinct was to lay down the law like she had when Ella was a child. "You have to finish school and…"

"Mom," Ella interrupted. "I said no." She rolled her eyes. "Good grief. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Biting her lip, Emily counted to ten. Times like that were the ones that made her question just how mature her daughter really was. Calmly, she said, "I don't think you're stupid. But I also know how you feel about Henry."

"He was so hurt. And he hasn't called me and I don't know what to do." That time a tear escaped before Ella could stop it. "What if he hates me?"

"Sweetheart," Emily soothed. "He doesn't hate you. And when he has time to lick his wounds he'll realize you're right."

"But what if I'm wrong?" Ella's voice was a mere whisper. Then she seemed to straighten, drawing herself up. "I'm not wrong. I love Henry, but I can't go to Phoenix. Not until I finish school."

"I'm so proud of you." Emily felt the sting of tears in her eyes. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for you." She sniffed and gave Ella a watery smile of her own. "I was such a mess when I was your age and you are so focused, so driven. You must get it from your father." Then it was Ella's turn to wipe away Emily's tears.

"You're not gonna help me out here, are you?" Ella pleaded with her eyes, a trick she had learned early in life and continued to employ with spotty success.

"No," Emily shook her head. "But I'm gonna do something even better."

"What?"

"Well, you're going to get up and take a shower and then I'm going to take you to the mall. We'll buy you a great new outfit and then we'll hit The Cheesecake Factory."

"Lettuce rolls?" Ella asked, her eyes picking up just a hint of their usual sparkle.

"And that anniversary chocolate thing that makes me want to throw up." Emily's smile was wide and happy as relief coursed through her. "Then, when you're feeling a little better, you can call Henry and you two can talk this whole thing out."

"Okay." Ella wrapped her arms around Emily and squeezed, snuggling into her shoulder just like she had when she was a little girl. "I am pretty gross."

"You are," Emily teased, wrinkling her nose. "Now go get a shower. I have an odd desire to eat chocolate until I puke."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How's your head?" Will glanced up from the paper as Henry shuffled into the room. Scowling, eyes swollen, Henry grunted and headed for the coffee pot. Will managed not to laugh and said, "Water would be better."

"Coffee first," Henry mumbled and filled his mug. He leaned against the counter and took his first sip. "What time is Mom coming over?"

Will shook his head and folded the paper, placing it on the breakfast bar. "She's not. You're stuck with me."

With a careless shrug, Henry said, "So, go ahead and get it over with."

Will bit back his flare of anger at Henry's attitude. "What do you think I'm gonna to say?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me I shouldn't have been drinking. And that I should have more respect for you." He took a long swallow of coffee and ran a hand through his hair.

A wry smile twisted Will's mouth up. "Obviously, you already know. No point in me telling you."

Henry chuffed out a laugh. "Guess not."

"Talk to me." Will leaned his forearms on the bar and watched his son carefully. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know." Henry rubbed his eyes. "We were talking about the job offer and then…I asked her to go with me."

Will shook his head. "Did you really?"

"Yeah," Henry's brows drew down in a frown.

Will held up a finger. "First of all, Ella can't just pack up and move across the country. She has two years of school left."

"Pretty much what she said." Henry made a harsh sound somewhere between a laugh and a curse. "Am I the only one around here who realizes there are good schools outside the state of Virginia?"

"No, son, you're not. But it's about more than the school." Will stood and moved to pour himself some more coffee.

"Then why don't you tell me what it's about. Because I don't get it." Henry's voice was rough and Will was pretty sure he was fighting back tears. "I just don't get it."

"Well, I was going to say that you shouldn't ask her to do something you aren't willing to do yourself."

"Wait a minute. I told her I would stay here and she didn't want me to." Henry's voice rose with every syllable. "What am I supposed to do now? Why don't you tell me that?"

Will set his mug on the counter and moved to the refrigerator. He pulled out eggs and butter and cheese. "Look, I'm going to give you some advice. You can take it or leave it." He rummaged in a cabinet beside the stove and pulled out a skillet. "Long distance relationships can work. It's not easy and it's not always fun, but it works. If you're both willing to work at it."

"Two hundred miles is long distance." Henry's response bordered on belligerent. "I don't want to be two thousand miles away from her."

"I get that. Really," Will threw a hand up to stop his son's response. "But, it seems to me, your other option is to let her go." Butter sizzled in the pan, the quiet hiss unnaturally loud in the silent kitchen.

All the fight drained out of Henry and he sagged against the counter. "That's not what I want."

"Then you're going to have to compromise." Will added eggs to the pan and scattered a handful of shredded cheese over them before he started to stir. "And that may mean going to Phoenix alone and working out the details as you go."

Nodding, Henry said, "You're right."

"What?" Will shot a look over his shoulder. "Did you say I'm right?"

Henry rolled his eyes and opened the cabinet to pull down two plates. "Well, you're right about this, but that's all I'm gonna give you."

"Figures," Will laughed. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"Eat, sleep off this headache, shower and then call Ella." He dropped four slices of bread into the toaster. "Seems like we've got a few things to talk about."

"That sounds like a plan to me." Will scraped the eggs out onto the plates. "Guess that means I'm on my own for the LSU game this afternoon."

"You could always call Kim. She could come over and watch it with you." Henry grabbed the toast when it popped up and dropped it on the plates.

"We've been over this before. She's my partner." Will carried the plates over to the table and sat down.

Henry pulled jelly out of the refrigerator and grabbed silverware before joining his father. "Whatever," he shook his head. "I've seen the way she looks at you. She'd be more than your partner in a minute."

Waving his fork in Henry's direction, Will said, "Let's worry about getting your love life back on track and leave mine alone."

"Yes, sir." Henry grinned, saluted and dug into his eggs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Exhausted after an eight o'clock class, four hours of volunteer work and six hours of waiting tables at one of the busier restaurants in Richmond, Ella flopped across her bed and groaned. She gave herself just a second to lie there with her eyes closed and her muscles screeching before she picked up her phone and called Henry.

"How's Phoenix?" Ella hoped she sounded more cheerful than she felt. Henry had been gone for three weeks and she missed him so much she ached with it. Talking to him daily helped, but it didn't make up for the fact that she knew how far away he was.

Henry sighed and she could picture him running a hand through his hair. "Hot and dry and lonely."

"Sounds familiar. Well, except for the dry part." She paused for a second, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "Did you get my package?"

He laughed then, a deep rich baritone that she hadn't heard much over the past three weeks, and she couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. Thanks for the Old Bay chips. The guy in the cube next to me loves them."

"Am I gonna have to order them by the case?" She laughed at his protests. "Well, I know you can't get them out there. And, even if I don't get your love of the nasty things, I can help support your addiction."

"The only thing I'm addicted to is you." His voice rumbled over the line and she felt tears stinging her eyes. "I miss you so damned much."

She pressed her fingers to her eyes, willing away the tears. "How's work?" she asked brightly.

"Work's great." Every time she asked about his job, Henry always sounded so excited that she was temporarily glad they decided to make this work. He rambled on for a bit, telling her about the project he was working on and the team of people that were involved. She listened with half an ear. Despite the things they had in common, she didn't share his love of engineering and he didn't share her fascination with politics. When he had wound down, he asked, "So how's the campaign?"

Once she realized she was going to have so much free time on her hands, Ella decided to volunteer at the local campaign office for the Republican candidate for state senate. Stuffing envelopes and cold calling voters wasn't a lot of fun when she got right down to it, but it would definitely look good on her resume.

"I have paper cuts on almost every finger, and if I never have to listen to one more person slam the phone down in my ear it'll be too soon. Other than that, it's good." She sighed. "I miss you."

"I know, baby. But just a couple more days and you'll be here."

"Yeah," Ella picked up the ragged toy bunny propped against her headboard and clutched it close to her. She drew in a deep breath and smelled Henry. Well, she smelled his cologne. "Dad's gonna have a stroke."

"You still haven't told them?" Henry groaned. "I thought you were gonna tell them last week."

"I was." She bit her lip and huffed out a breath. "I'll do it tonight. I promise."

"Okay." Henry paused then said, "I know you're their little girl, but you're an adult. You don't have to be specific about what we're gonna do, but you need to tell them the truth. Just 'cause they don't like it doesn't mean they don't deserve to know where you are."

Rolling her eyes, Ella said, "Can't you be wrong, just once?"

"No. And stop rolling your eyes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"She's going where?" Dave's voice was calm and Emily had learned long ago that was worse than screaming any day.

"Phoenix." She continued folding the pile of towels that were thrown across the bed. "To see Henry."

"And you told her this was okay?" Dark spots of color appeared on his cheeks.

Sighing, Emily shook her head. "No, Dave, I didn't say it was okay. Besides, she didn't really ask me, she told me."

"Since when does she get to tell us what she's going to do?" he snapped.

"Since she became an adult?" Emily bit her lip to suppress her grin. She might not be happy about Ella flying across the country to spend a long weekend with Henry, but Emily was clear headed enough to realize they couldn't stop her. "Look," she added when his scowl deepened, "she's going no matter what we say. I told her I wasn't crazy about the idea, but I couldn't demand that she stay here."

Dave snatched a towel off the pile, his movements jerky as he folded it. "But you know, if she goes out there, what's going to happen."

"Oh, Dave," Exasperated, Emily shook her head. "It won't be the first time."

His entire body went perfectly still. Even his breathing seemed to stop. Then he sank down on the edge of the bed and said, "Are you sure?"

Trying not to laugh, Emily nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"How'd I not know?" He sounded dazed.

Sitting beside him, she took his hand in hers. "You didn't want to know." She chuckled then, "Neither did I really, but I was a teenage girl once, so I sort of recognized the signs."

"There are signs?" He looked so confused that she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him.

"Yeah." She laid her head over on his shoulder. "Face it, our baby is growing up. We can't control her life."

Dave leaned his head against hers, his hand finding her thigh. "Just tell me she's being careful." Emily nodded and felt his chest expand as he drew his first deep breath since she told him about Ella. "Just when you think it's safe to start sleeping again…"

She snorted out a laugh. "You can try that with somebody else. But you snore, so you can't fool me."

"Em?" Dave released a long breath. "I love you."

Contentment stealing over her, Emily said, "I love you, too."

When he used his hand to tilt her face up to his, Emily felt the first flutter of anticipation. Then he kissed her, his lips warm and soft against hers and anticipation turned into need. It had always been that way with Dave. The desire simmered just below the surface, no matter what else was going on around them. All it took was a look, a touch, a whispered word and she was putty in his hands. So, when he pressed her back on the bed, towels scattering onto the floor, she groaned and gave herself up to the wonder of being loved by David Rossi.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ella groaned, her head resting on her arm as she hugged the rim of the toilet bowl. "I think I'm gonna die."

"You're still talking, so I'm not too worried." Henry pressed the cold washcloth to the back of her neck. "Do you want some water?"

One eye opened just a slit and she glared at him. "I never want anything to drink again for as long as I live."

"Okay," he tried to hide his grin. "How about the bed? Think you can get that far?"

"Nooooooooooo," she moaned. Just the thought of moving made her stomach roll again. "Just leave me here so I can die in peace."

With a chuckle, Henry left the room only to reappear a moment later with a blanket and a pillow. "If you're gonna sleep here, at least cover up." He dropped down beside her and put the pillow on the floor. Then, with gentle hands, he urged Ella to lie down and covered her with the blanket. "I'm going to bed. But the door is open, so you can yell if you need me."

"'Kay," she mumbled, fighting the urge to drift off. "Sorry I got sick."

"Well, it was your party." He stroked a hand over her hair. "You only become legal once in your life."

"Yeah, now I remember why I don't drink much." She tried to open her eyes, but they were way too heavy. "Gonna sleep now. Love you, Henry."

"Love you, too." She felt his fingers brush her cheek as she drifted off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I have some news." Henry watched her from across the table.

The hangover was worse than she'd thought it could be. Her head pounded and her body ached from sleeping on the bathroom floor, her stomach muscles were sore from throwing up and her eyes felt like somebody was gouging them out with popsicle sticks. Even the shower and ibuprofen hadn't helped. She wasn't in the mood for any news. At least she'd brushed her teeth, so they no longer felt like they were growing fur. Forcing what she hoped was a curious expression on her face, Ella sipped at her water. "What's that?"

"Well, you know that position I told you I applied for?" He paused and she nodded carefully. "It's mine, if I want it."

For a second the words didn't really register. "Yours?"

Henry's smile was huge. "Yep. Mine."

"So you're moving home?" She hated that she kept asking what amounted to stupid questions, but her brain wasn't really functioning at full speed.

"Silver Springs. But it's the right side of the country." He chuckled and shook his head. "Should I tell you again later?"

Ella stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, so I'm not running on all cylinders this morning."

"That's an understatement." Henry's eyes sparkled with humor. "Are you at least a little bit excited?"

"Of course I am." She grinned. "When do you move?"

Throwing his head back, Henry laughed. "Slow down. I have to give notice and get everything arranged so…maybe a month?"

"Seriously?" Suddenly Ella was a little more awake. "You might be back on the east coast in a month?"

"Yeah."

Grinning, Ella slipped from her chair and into his lap. "I love you, Henry." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "And I'm so glad you're going to be close again."

"It's still a couple hundred miles." His hands slid up and down her back.

Brushing a kiss along his jaw, she shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Anything has to be better than Phoenix. Only camels should live there."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Henry called me." Dave forked up a bite of salad. "He wants to come by and talk to me Friday afternoon."

"Really?" Emily sipped at her wine and watched her husband across the table. "Oh… _Really?_"

"I think so. Can't imagine it could be anything else." He broke off a piece of bread and smiled at her. "Unless he wants to borrow money."

Emily rolled her eyes and picked up her fork. "I don't think he wants to borrow money, Dave." Spearing a grape tomato, she slid it into her mouth and chewed. "What are you going to say to him?"

Setting his fork down, Dave reached for his wine glass and leaned back. "I don't know. She's so young. They both are."

"They are." She pushed aside her salad. "What are you going to say?"

Dave shook his head and gave a wry smile. "What can I say? This is the twenty-first century."

"I know." Emily sighed. "It's just…she's my little girl."

"Mine, too."

They were silent for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Then, with a shaky smile, Emily said, "Henry is such a good guy."

"He is." Dave nodded.

"And he balances her out, so well." She reached for the wine bottle and poured more into her glass then held it out for Dave. "He's good for her."

"You really think so?" He took a sip from his glass and raised an eyebrow.

Chuckling, Emily nodded. "She's _our_ daughter. She's hard headed and opinionated and convinced she's right about everything. And Henry's more level headed, like J.J." Swirling the liquid in her glass, she gave a slight shrug.

"So, you're saying Henry kept her out of trouble?" Dave grinned. "And all this time I thought it was fear of parental retribution."

Emily choked on her wine. "I know you aren't senile, so I'm leaning toward delusional on this one." Grabbing her napkin, she wiped her mouth. "That stuff only worked up until she could talk and you know it."

"True," he agreed. Then his eyebrows drew down in a frown. "You don't think he's controlling do you?"

"No!" She shook her head. "I think he's smart enough not to even try."

Dave heaved out a deep breath. "This is really going to happen, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. Whether we think they're ready or not, it's going to happen." She propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. "I just wish they would wait another year or so. I want her to finish school and get some work experience behind her."

"Maybe I can suggest that plan to Henry." Dave runs his hand over his mouth. "You know, use his levelheadedness to Ella's advantage."

"Now who's being controlling?" Emily laughed.

"Hey," he held up his hands, "I never said I wasn't. Besides, how do you think I've kept you from running amok all these years?"

"What?" Emily spluttered.

"Yeah." He nodded sagely even while his eyes glittered with laughter. "And I'm so good you never even knew what was happening."

"You, David Rossi, are full of shit." She pointed a warning finger at him, trying hard not to laugh at his outrageousness. "We both know who's in charge around here."

Matching her grin with one of his own, he nodded. Then they said, in unison, "Ella."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Henry smiled at Dave and Emily, scrubbed his sweaty palms along his thighs and wondered why he was so nervous. He'd known these two people his whole life; they were like family in every way that counted. But this was different. This was their daughter's future he was there to discuss.

"What's up Henry?" Dave crossed his legs and steepled his fingers under his chin.

"I'm pretty sure you know why I'm here." He swallowed hard.

Emily, seated beside Dave, smiled at him. "Relax, Henry. We don't bite."

"Speak for yourself." Dave's mouth twitched in what might have been the beginnings of a smile. But it disappeared as fast as it came. "What?" He tried to look affronted when Emily slapped his arm.

"Quit trying to spook him, Dave." Shaking her head, Emily said, "Go ahead, Henry. He's just being a pain."

Hands shaking, Henry tried to smile, but he was pretty sure it was more a grimace. "Well," he cleared his throat, embarrassed that his voice was shaking, "I'm going to ask Ella to marry me and I came to ask for your blessing."

Dave uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. "Henry," he rested his elbows on his knees, "tell me why I…why _we_ should give you our blessing."

"Sir?"

"You've come in here and told me you're going to ask my daughter to marry you. But you haven't told me why you want to marry her, why Emily and I should be willing to accept you as Ella's husband." His voice was razor sharp and Henry felt a tiny frisson of unease. Maybe he'd been right all along about Dave's relatives being able to make somebody disappear.

"Dave…" Emily ran her hand over Dave's back. "Don't scare him."

"I'm not trying to scare him." Dave smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"It's okay, Aunt Emily." Henry's look was rueful. "I'm not even sure if I should call you that anymore. This all seems so complicated sometimes."

"What does?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "I've known you both my entire life. Ella too, really. It just seems odd to call you Aunt and Uncle when I want more than anything to be married to your daughter." He chuckled. "Seems a little…incestuous. But no matter how it changes my relationship with the two of you, I love her more than anything and I can't imagine living without her."

Dave was quiet for a moment, watching Henry with an odd look on his face. Then, with a shuddering breath, he said, "Okay."

"Okay?" Henry wasn't sure what he had expected, but that definitely wasn't it. It just seemed way too easy.

Nodding, Dave said, "Okay. On one condition…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ride into the city is uneventful, the three of them swaying with the rhythm of the train moving along the rails like they had been born to it. In a way, Ella had. Never having lived anywhere except Virginia, she'd taken countless trips into the District over the years to visit her grandmother or attend a concert, have dinner or wander through a museum. To her, D.C. is like her backyard.

Some of Ella's greatest memories were of the National Memorial Day concerts. Her mother would pack a picnic and the three of them would spend the entire day meeting other veterans and their families, and then, as the sun was setting, the performance would begin. It never failed to bring tears to her father's eyes. And he would wrap his arms around her and her mother, hugging them close as the music swelled around them. Living in the shadow of the nation's capital, coupled with her father's pride in his country, and not her grandmother's influence, is what Ella credits for her interest in politics.

Usually, she would pop in her ear buds and read a book, or doze while on the train, but tonight she can't stop her mind from spinning. Something is going on, something important. Why else would Henry insist on dinner with all the parents? Ella can't really imagine what it could be. He hasn't said anything to her about a promotion or a raise or anything like that. She's still considering possibilities when the train, brakes screaming, enters Union Station.

Exiting onto Massachusetts Avenue Ella pauses and draws in a deep breath while her father hails a cab to take them the twenty blocks to the restaurant. The evening air is warm, with only a tiny hint of the coming fall. The pervasive humidity of summer is gone, and without the haze of heat, the pinkish orange sky of early evening is clear.

The Iron Gate Inn is one of their favorite places in the District. Tucked away down what appears to be an iron gated driveway, the restaurant isn't overrun with tourists the way most places are. Honestly, she and Henry only found it by luck as they were wandering along the residential street one day talking about how amazing it would be to live in one of the gorgeous brownstones. But from the moment Ella saw the outdoor area with the twinkling lights woven through grapevines overhead she was in love with the place. The delicious food was merely a bonus.

Henry, Hotch and J.J. are already seated when they arrive, but Henry rises to greet them. It seems to her that some sort of silent communication passes between the two sets of parents, but it's over so fast Ella isn't sure she really saw it. Then Henry is smiling at her and brushing a kiss over her mouth and she forgets about everything but him.

"You look amazing." His eyes sweep over her and she feels his gaze like a touch. Ella smoothes the coral fabric of her dress over her hips and smiles up at him.

"So do you," she murmurs, sliding a hand along his arm. The charcoal jacket makes his shoulders look very broad, and the silvery shirt and slate blue tie bring out the gray in his eyes.

Twining his fingers with hers, Henry leads her over to the table. She hugs J.J. and Hotch, and then Henry pulls out her chair. A few minutes later, when Ella is just sipping her first glass of wine, Will and his date arrive.

Kim is a petite redhead with porcelain skin, ice blue eyes and a wide, generous smile. Ella and Henry have both met her, but no one else has, so introductions are made. Will began dating her not long after Henry left for Phoenix, as if his son being grown and officially on his own was the push he needed to make the leap into a relationship that might last more than a week or two. Now, well over a year later, Will looks truly happy as he holds a chair out for Kim, before sliding into the seat beside her.

Dinner is a boisterous affair, wine and food and conversation flowing with ease. The faint sound of traffic filtering in from the street is the only reminder that they are still in the city. As the sun sets, the twinkle lights become stars and the restaurant patio takes on a magical air. Candles in hurricane lamps cast puddles of light on the tables, and the quiet hum of conversation rises and falls around them. The savory smells of lamb, chicken and fish along with roasted vegetables float on the air. The cool flavors of tzatziki and the warm, nutty taste of hummus are washed down by a rich red wine.

Then entire group passes on dessert, but says yes to coffee. Nicolas, the owner of the restaurant, brings out the tray himself. He asks about their evening, smiling and laughing as they heap praise on him for the fabulous food and service. When he is gone, Henry rises to his feet, and taking Ella's hand, tugs her up to stand beside him.

"Ella," he's looking at her, and she feels a flutter of nerves start in the center of her chest. "I'm pretty sure you were wondering why we're all here." She nods and his smile is so tender that she feels tears stinging her eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't dragged me off to the side and interrogated me until I told you."

She looks around at the faces of their parents and can actually feel herself start to tremble. "Henry?" It comes out as a whisper.

"Wait." It is then that she feels the tremor in his hand and she nods. "I thought of a thousand ways to do this. But I couldn't imagine anything better than this place." He gestures with his free hand. "And with these people."

Ella feels the first tear slip down her cheek. "What are you doing?"

With a grin, he drops down on one knee and looks up at her. For a second, he fishes in his jacket pocket then holds up something she can't even see through her tears. "Isabella Grace…Ella, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Her heart is so full that she can't speak. It swells in her chest until she can barely breathe. Covering her mouth with a trembling hand, she nods.

"Is that a yes?" Henry's grin is huge.

She nods again, and a laugh starts somewhere deep inside her. "Yes."

They are both shaking as Henry slides the ring on her finger.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ella, reclining against the pillows with Henry's back to her chest, is still trying to catch her breath when Henry lifts her left hand and looks at the ring on her finger. "Do you really like it?"

"I love it, Henry. Really." She twists her hand in his grasp, watching as the stone catches the light. "I've never seen a chocolate diamond, but I think it's the most beautiful ring in the world." The translucent dark brown center diamond is surrounded by dozens of brilliant white stones and everything seems to sparkle as the lamplight hits it.

Bringing her hand to his lips he places a kiss on the back and says, "It reminded me of your eyes and I wanted you to have it."

She hugs him tight, her arms draped across his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He sighs. "It was a great night, huh?"

"Yeah," she nods, her cheek brushing over his hair. "I had a great time." She pauses for a second then, out of nowhere, practically screams in his ear, "We're getting married!"

"Hey!" Henry twists in her arms until he can see her, one hand covering his offended ear. "That's my ear you're yelling in."

"Oh, poor baby." Ella pokes out her bottom lip, but her eyes are sparkling with laughter. "I can kiss it and make it better."

"You're beautiful." He smiles at her and runs a finger over her bottom lip.

Blushing, Ella says, "We're getting married, Henry," her voice an awestruck whisper.

"We are." He leans forward and presses a kiss to the swell of her breast. "So soft," he murmurs against her skin.

Even though her hand threads through his hair and she tugs him a little closer, her mind is somewhere else. "There's so much to do, so much to plan. We need to set a date and get a church and a dress and…"

"Hey." He lifts his head, albeit reluctantly. "We've only been engaged a couple of hours. There's time for all that."

"I know." She sits up and kisses him, hot and wet and hard. "But it takes at least a year to plan something this big and I don't want to wait forever to be your wife."

"God," he groans and flops back on the bed. "You're gonna be so pissed at me."

Ella's stomach clenches, and she can feel her excitement draining away. "Why?"

With his arm covering his eyes, Henry says, "Because I promised your parents we would wait until after you graduate to set a date."

Ella shakes her head trying to clear away the confusion. "What?"

Dropping his arm, he rolls his head around to look at her. "I promised Uncle Dave and Aunt Emily we would wait so that you can concentrate on school and finding a job over the next year."

"When did you make this promise?" She can feel the anger heating her cheeks. With teeth clenched, she continues, "Better yet, why would you promise that?"

Sitting up, Henry drags the sheet up over his legs and hips. "Shit. I knew I was going to be in trouble for this one." He runs a hand through his hair. "I went to see your parents about a month ago because I wanted your father's blessing. The rest just sort of," he shrugs, "happened."

Stunned, Ella simply stares at him, unable to believe he actually asked for her father's blessing. It's so old fashioned. And she should probably be pissed because he thinks they need her father's permission, but she's not. She's touched. It's such a huge, romantic gesture that it makes her feel cherished. The fact that he caved under pressure from her father doesn't seem so surprising or important.

"Did he threaten you with his cousin Nico from Jersey?" She's fighting a smile, but when Henry nods, she cackles. "Really? The one who owns the concrete business?" He nods again and she actually has to hold her stomach she's laughing so hard. "Henry, he's a retired homicide detective, and he's at least eighty."

"Seriously?" He looks pathetic and more than a little shell shocked. "He lied to me?"

Still giggling, Ella moves to straddle his thighs, adjusting the sheet so that they are pressed together in a way that promises something beyond the argument he'd been expecting. "Henry LaMontagne, you are my dream man."

Bringing his hands up to cup her hips, he grins up at her. "You mean that?"

Ella nods and wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against him. "Let's not talk about my parents. Okay?"

Henry tangles his fingers in her hair and draws her mouth down to his. "Okay," he mumbles just before he kisses her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Emily?" Dave opens the door of the Bride's Room. "Jack is waiting to walk you down the aisle."

"Coming," she calls over her shoulder before turning back to Ella. "You look fabulous." Emily dabs at her eyes and gives her daughter a watery smile.

"Don't cry, Mom. You'll make me cry and then Henry will take one look at me and change his mind." Ella smiles, but her eyes are bright with unshed tears. "Go. We can't start without you."

"Henry won't change his mind. He's scared of your father."

Giggling, Ella shakes her head. "I told him about Cousin Nico."

"What?" Dave is grinning. "There goes my hold over him."

Laughing, Emily gives her one last hug and leaves, squeezing Dave's hand on the way out.

For a moment, he simply stares at his daughter. The strapless dress is fitted to the waist before flaring out slightly into a classic a-line skirt. Thousands of seed pearls adorn the bodice's lace overlay while the skirt is layer upon layer of organza ruffles over tulle. Her skin glows next to the ivory fabric. With her hair swept up and her makeup perfect, she is breathtaking.

"You're beautiful." Dave barely recognizes his own voice.

"Oh, Daddy." Ella's smile trembles and she holds out her arms, wrapping them around his neck and kissing his cheek the way she did when she was a little girl.

Stepping back, Dave holds her at arm's length and looks at her. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Her smile is wide and so happy that he feels it in the middle of his chest like a physical ache.

"You know there's still time to change your mind." He says the words, but only half-heartedly. Ella isn't going to change her mind. And in just a little more than an hour she won't be his little girl anymore. She'll be Henry's wife.

Her smile gets a little bigger. "I love him, Daddy. I'm not gonna change my mind."

His heart breaking just a little, Dave nods. "I know, baby. Just thought I'd offer." Blinking back his tears, he raises his eyebrow and run his hands over his jacket. "So, how do I look?"

Ella steps closer and straightens the creamy calla lily pinned to his lapel. "You're the best looking dad in the world."

Dave kisses her cheek. "Let's go before I embarrass us both."

"Let me get my flowers." Ella moves across the room and scoops up a bouquet of deep red calla lilies tied with ivory and dark brown ribbons.

Holding the door open, Dave ushers her out and follows her down the short passage to the vestibule, being careful not to step on her train.

As the bridesmaids and flower girl make their way down the aisle toward the altar, Dave can feel Ella's hand trembling against his arm. "Nervous?" he whispers.

"A little." She gazes up at him and suddenly she's five years old and it's the first day of school.

Dave places his hand over hers and squeezes. "I've got you. Don't worry."

The first strains of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" fill the air and they step through the door of the sanctuary.

Sooner than Dave would like, Father Davison is asking, "Who gives this woman to be married?", and sharing a look with his old friend, responds, "Her mother and I." Then he kisses his daughter and shakes the hand of his soon to be son-in-law. On emotional overload, he places Ella's hand in Henry's and turns to walk away when Henry's voice stops him.

"Don't worry about Ella, sir. I'll take good care of her."

For the second time in one day, Dave is swept back almost twenty years to a little blonde boy with serious eyes. Tears burning in his throat, he nods. "I know you will, Henry," he chokes out. "I know you will."

He makes it to his seat beside Emily before the first tear falls.


End file.
